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In its fulfillment of reaching beyond creating conservation awareness in the communities but also seeking to develop and upgrade conditions of learning including the learning environment, ERuDeF’s Education for Sustainable Development arm, May 4, 2015, handed over a six-chamber toilet to G.S. Mmouckmbie in Alou, Lebialem Divison.

The toilets were constructed by ERuDeF with support from one her major partners Man & Nature. At the ceremony attended by among others, the representative of the Divisional Delegate for Basic Education for Lebialem, the Inspector for Basic Education, Alou Sub-Division, the Mayor for Alou Council, chiefs and community members, parents and pupils, the head teacher of the school, Mrs. Kedju Priscilla Mabu, hailed ERuDeF for the gesture.

The PTA chairperson of the school, Nkemgim Christopher, said he felt proud that his school was the first to benefit from such a gesture.

“We can never stop to be grateful to ERuDeF for this generous and timely support made to the school,” Nkemgim said.

The representative of the Inspector for Basic Education Alou, appreciated ERuDeF’s efforts as not only being a conservation organization but a strong partner to education in Lebialem through donations of didactic materials, books, support to kids.

While lauding ERuDeF for offering environmental education as well as providing proper hygiene and sanitation for schools, the Inspector’s representative encouraged the pupils and the school authorities to take proper care of the toilets.

The joy was overwhelming and the kids on their part made a wonderful display of traditional dances and singing to appreciate the support offered them by ERuDeF.However, as Oliver Twist, they asked for more while promising to take their education more seriously.

On her part, Akeh Nug as the focal person for the Education for Sustainable Development Program, appreciated the community’s participation and attendance at the occasion.

She took time off to explain to the kids how the toilets should be used and taken care of.

Authorities of the Southwest Regional Brigade of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife have recently intercepted the transportation of over 1400 pieces of sawn Microbelinia bisulcata which were headed for Douala by an illegal exploiter, Tsafack who possessed neither authorization nor exploitation permit.

Chief Ngoh James of Dikome Balondo village said the Forestry chief of Post of the area had presented Tsafack to the community for exploitation. The villagers accepted without any reservation given that the exploiter was with the chief of post- a government official, and the species was considered a hindrance to the growth of their crops. To this regard, the chief of post reportedly advised the villagers not collect money in exchange of the trees but rather to ask the exploiter to reward them through a developmental project in the community. To this effect, the villagers went into verbal agreement with the exploiter in which he was to exploit and saw out 10.000 pieces of logs and in return construct a modern community hall of 15m X 8m consisting of two bedrooms, a conference hall and 2 modern toilets. Consequently, he exploited and transported 2 trucks of the species on two occasions. On the third occasion, the villagers held the truck filled with sawn pieces of Zingana hostage because he had not commenced his side of the bargain as promised. To this effect, the verbal agreement was transformed into a written agreement with the community. On a patrol to area by the South West regional MINFOF brigade team supported by ERuDeF, a pile of over 1400 sawn pieces of Zingana were found pending transportation to Douala by Mr.Tsafack in the village. The MINFOF team confiscated the sawn logs using the official forestry hammer and reported the matter to the Regional office and area gendarmes which prompted the detention of the illegal exploiter. He was charged 2 million FCFA as fine and damages caused which was to be paid into government treasury before his release.

Nonetheless the villagers still interrupted the confiscation and auction of the logs by MINFOF authorities. They argued that the logs could not be auctioned because the owner of the logs –Tsafack had gone into agreement with the community before exploiting the species and till then had not executed his terms of the agreement. The Regional Delegate of Forestry Mr Ebai Samuel together with his team summoned a conflict resolution meeting at the community. In the presence of the Divisional Officer of Bamusso Mr Ndille Joseph, community members and ERuDeF staff, the conflict was sought to be resolved.

Speaking at the meeting, the D.O blamed the community for accepting and going into agreement without his consent. He highlighted that the DO as the administrator of the area had been sidelined by the community and illegal exploiters hovered into the community. He explained that the DO was there for the community and urged the community members to always direct strangers who wanted to work in the community to him. He emphasized that villagers had privileges and not rights of allowing persons to exploit the forest without informing the necessary government authorities. He bemoaned the fact that the exploiter had duped the villagers to exploit the timber without authorization.

In response to this, the Regional Delegate said the wood had to be auctioned and the money paid into the government coffers. RDFOF however said that given the underlying circumstance, he would talk with his team and seek to consider that 50% of the logs are given to the community to sell and use the money to complete the hall while 50% is auctioned and money paid into the government coffers.

Reacting to the unfortunate circumstances, the project Coordinator of the Mt Cameroon threatened trees project at ERuDeF, emphasized the need for protecting these trees whose population has declined almost to extinction due such illegal exploitation.

Microberlinia bisulcata commonly called zebra wood or Zingana is found within the lowland forest of Mt Cameroon. Recently the specie has been undergoing serious threat of extinction as illegal exploiters haul logs out of the forest everyday . The species which is critically endangered and endemic to the area is highly sawn for its beautiful hard stripy timber for furniture. Given that the Cameroon government recently issued a ban on another threatened species Gebourtia mannii (Boubinga) which was highly exported, the recent upsurge has been on Zingana as a substitute in the black market of timber. Hence the illegal logging of the relics of the zebra wood or Zingana within the lowland forest of Mt Cameroon has been appalling. Nonetheless the services of South West Regional brigade of Forestry and Wildlife in collaboration with ERuDeF has been putting measures to stop the felling of these trees through the introduction of anti-logging patrols supported by the UK Charity Fauna and Flora's Global Tree Campaign project.

Trainees from the ERuDeF Institute of Biodiversity and Non-Profit Studies (EIBiNS) have picked some knowledge about agroforestry systems and different agroforestry tree species at the Institute of Research and Agricultural Development (IRAD) Ekona, Southwest Region. Course Delegate, Ms Neba Grace led the trainees recently.

Expert in agroforestry, Samalang Patrick took the team to observe some agroforestry trees and systems. The first was the use of ornamental palms and trees in lawns and in life fencing around the Institute. Some tree species observed were Leucaena leucophela, Gliricidia sepium, Kajianus Kajan, Senna, Calliandra calothyrsus and many other ornamentals.

In addition to these, the trainees observed a variety of livestock farming including; Snail farming, Rabbits and Cane rats.

The team equally visited a tree nursery where they examined some propagation practices such as Macotting, Budding, and Grafting and later observed a series of agro-forestry systems notably alley cropping farming system and life fencing.

Dr Samalang Patrick lectured the students on the various agro-ecological zones of the South West Region relating them to existing Zonage system in Cameroon. The trainees asked questions after the lectures and their trainer responded to all the questions leaving them satisfied.

Trainees expressed satisfaction after the training and confessed it was an interesting expedition and wish many more sessions could be organized. "The integration of such practical field work and theory I learnt in school has helped me gain more knowledge on agroforestry. This is the true meaning of professionalism" Ms Neba Grace, one of the trainees said.

Some trainees however complained that the exercise was a bit strenuous given that they found it hard to differentiate the different agro-forestry species. To this effect, they suggested that a museum be created in the EIBiNS campus where students can visit regularly to remind themselves of these plants and their unique characteristics.

Dr Samalang Patrick who is also a Lecturer at EIBiNS promised the trainees that many of such field exercises would be organized to keep agro-forestry trainees on track.

EIBiNS makes practical studies relevant for its students by providing forum for its trainees to exploit more on field observations than theoretical doctrines delivered in class. Through such expeditions, the Institute aims to encourage its trainees to take up challenges and become more professional.

It is worthy to note that the agroforestry program at the institute enjoys some technical support from the Cameroon Program of US Charity Trees for the Future and also has a partnership with the Virginia-tech University.

The Institute of Biodiversity and Non-profit Studies, IBiNS has sworn in its first batch of trainees in a formal ceremony that took place at the Institute’s Campus in Buea on the 30th January, 2013. Delivering the academic discourse, the Chair of scientific committee of the Institute, Dr. Chuyong George lauded the

students for making the brilliant choice of doing research on the environment and called on them to be ambassadors of the biodiversity. Dr. Chuyong explained that the biodiversity provides goods and services for the most fundamental of human needs ranging from food, medicine, with 80% of the world’s population still using plants as medicine based on ancestral knowledge and close to 30% of all pharmaceuticals developed from plants and animals. He called on the matriculating students to therefore champion the conservation struggle by living a more sustainable life and influencing others around them to conserve the biodiversity.

The Institute of Biodiversity and Non-profit studies, IBiNS it would be recalled is the capacity and scientific building division of the Environment and Rural Development Foundation, ERuDeF. The Institute has as goal to train the next generation of conservation leaders as well as serve as a center for excellence for Biodiversity Research and Non-profit studies in Cameroon, the Central African Region and Africa.

Officially opening the occasion, the Board chair of ERuDeF, Eric Akemnda could hardly hide his excitement on the realization of a dream “ I am full of excitement as we all gather here today to celebrate the first matriculation of IBiNS” Mr. Akemnda was quick to remind the audience that it was exactly one year since the Institute was launched and he was proud to say the Institute is not just out to train environmental researchers, but employers and the next generation of Chief Executive Officers given that the courses are tailored to make the trainees self-employed, not job seekers. He urged the students to work hard and keep the flag of the Institute flying. Mr. Akemnda went on to say the training was one of its kind given that upon completion of studies, 95% of the graduates would be absorbed by the mother organization, ERuDeF. “At IBiNS, we intend to set the pace in conservation science development in Cameroon. Some of the specialized programmes offered amongst others include Certificate Diploma, Postgraduate and Master Programmes in Mountain Studies, Water Resource Management, Environmental Journalism, Fundraising, NGO studies, Applied social Research and Forestry and Climate Change” Mr. Akemnda added.

On his part, the pioneer Director of the Institute, Dr. Okolle Justin stressed that the Institute will go a long way in supporting the development of environmental reporting which has hitherto been neglected in the country. He explained that the trainees would learn the courses in a non-conventional way, with 70% of practical, 15% instructions and 15% self study. Dr. Okolle insisted that at the end of the academic year, a student must show prow of having mastered the techniques for fundraising, writing a project proposal and publishing research results in peer-reviewed journals.

Co-chairing the event, the South West Delegate for Vocational training, Foretia James lauded the initiative of the school, describing it as the first in Anglophone Cameroon “ I have known of vocational training centers, but I have hardly known of one like IBiNS which trains young people in conservation science. This Institute will help policy making given that with their expertise, our ministry will be able to draft new examination schemes and syllabuses that would be used in case other Institutes of this nature crop up”. On behalf of his Ministry, the Delegate pledged total collaboration wherever need arises.

One of the trainees, Ndimuh Betrand expressed himself “I chose Environmental Journalism because I have realized that there is a gap in Cameroon’s media landscape as far as environmental reporting is concerned. Research in this field will permit me disseminate information to Cameroonians on some of the best ways in protecting our rich environment”.

French partner of the Environment and Rural Development Foundation, Man and Nature has confirmed a 3-year funding partnership with the organization. The two organizations entered into a partnership in 2010 with the vision of saving the last great apes, Cross River Gorilla in the Lebialem Mone Landscape. Three years down the lane, Man and Nature has supported ERuDeF in her bio-monitoring activities in the Lebialem highlands and the Cameroon Nigeria border which is home to the critically endangered Cross River gorilla and Nigeria chimpanzees. Man and Nature has equally supported ERuDeF in the provision of alternative sources of livelihood to the local people such as oil mill, piglets and beehives. The visit of the French conservation organization was therefore to evaluate how successful and what impact these projects have had on the local people.

This was done through a week monitoring of some of ERuDeF’s projects on the ground by the Executive Director of Man and Nature, Olivier Behra from the 19th to 23rd January, 2013. In an effort to increase the visibility of these projects and also increase funding for ERuDeF, Man and Nature was in Cameroon with an audiovisual firm Cinecure to develop a documentary based on the projects on the ground and also establish a long-term partnership. The documentary would be distributed internationally to help the world understand conservation issues in this area and how ERuDeF has succeeded to conserve the last remaining great apes so far.

The first stop was at the head office of ERuDeF in Buea where the crew familiarized themselves with some of the staff of the organization. Mr. Behra then preceded to Magha a village in the Lebialem highlands, which is an integral part of Cameroon’s third highest peak, Mt Bamboutos. Man and Nature and ERuDeF are currently working on the valorization of a plant the Echinops giganteus which has some fragrance and pharmaceutical potentials and is present in Magha. In Magha, Mr. Behra was able to hold talks with over 50 people in the community who embraced the project and also expressed their desire to plant trees and restore their degraded landscape. The next stop was at Bechati where the team went into the Proposed Tofala Wildlife Hill Sanctuary to do bio-monitoring of Great Apes. Worthy to note is the fact that the Bechati village forms one of the forest blocks on the Cameroon-Nigeria border which is home to some 300 critically endangered cross river gorilla and over 600 Nigeria Cameroon Chimpanzees. Bechati forms a significant portion of the proposed Tofala Wildlife Hill Sanctuary, which the government of Cameroon, with technical assistance of ERuDeF is working towards awarding the area the status of a full protected area.

This team visited the Besali oil mill took footages of its operations. The manager of the Besali oil mill, Joseph Forbai said “the presence of the oil mill for over one year now has led to increase in quantity and quality of oil produced. Before the process was labour intensive but today the machine has the capacity of milling over 20 drums of nuts for two hours, a task which could take over a week to do traditionally. The oil produced now is very good for soap making, frying of puff balls which the former oil would not do. With this improvement in quality, farmers have now gone beyond selling oil locally to selling in neighbouring city Dschang and this has led to an increase in income”.

Man and Nature congratulates ERuDeF for a job well done in conservationAfter touring ERuDeF’s project sites for one week, Olivier Behra expressed his satisfaction on the work the non-profit organization is doing in conserving wildlife and protecting the environment in a press conference that took place in Buea on the 23rd January, 2013. “I would personally like to congratulate ERuDeF for the marvelous job especially in the Tofala area where I visited and saw the motivation of the local people in conservation. The actions of ERuDeF are already felt on the ground positively. I realized the organization has been doing a lot of concrete projects on the ground like the setting up of the palm mill” Mr. Behra noted that the creation of the protected area, the Tofala Wildlife Hill Sanctuary will be a highpoint in the conservation process in that region in particular and Cameroon in general and added that “The presence of devoted conservation organizations like ERuDeF is what motivates Man and Nature to work with them in the protection of fragile species”. On his part, the CEO of ERuDeF used the Press conference as a unique opportunity to thank her partner Man and Nature for the support given them so far and promised that they would do everything possible to ensure the goals of conservation are achieved in the near future.

The Ibadan Malimbe (Malimbus ibadanensis) hitherto thought to exist only in Nigeria and Ghana was recently captured in the Lebialem Mone forest in the South West region of Cameroon by the camera of a group of biologists from the Environment and Rural Development Foundation, ERuDeF.

These researchers were accompanied by volunteers from USA, Germany and England. They went to the Tofala-Mone Corridor for monthly bio-monitoring activities and spotted this bird on a tree close to the banks of River Bokwa, located at longitude 571965 and latitude 630194 with an elevation of 165m above sea level. While at the camp site, the team of biologists plus the volunteers carefully identified the bird species from the Birds for West Africa guide book. They went ahead to compare the physical characteristics of the bird caught with the cameras, with that from the book. It was discovered that it was the Ibadan Malimbe. Even though photographs had been taken of the red-headed Malimbe (Malimbus rubricollis) and some other Malimbes, the team made sure that it was a different species from these MalimbesFirst ever captured in the town of Ibadan Nigeria, the Ibadan malimbe is about 20 cm large, .Themales have scarlet head, neck, throat and breast and the red colour on breast extends onto belly. The rest of the feathers are black. The adult females have red confined to crown and nape with thin, red breast band. They produce a chup ee wurr followed by a wheez sound.

Current IUCN red list has categorized this bird as Endangered. It is in the Family of Ploceidae (Weaver allies). It has a population size range of 930-2900 mature individuals and the distribution size (breeding/resident) is 13,200 kilometer square.

The species name was given by Elgood. According to Elgood et al. 1994, Malimbus ibadanensis was known only in South Western Nigeria in the following sites; Ibadan, Ife, Iperu and Ilaro. This bird was also spotted in Kakum National park in Ghana but records are yet to be confirmed. Thus it was thought that the home range of Ibadan Malimbe was limited to South-West Nigeria and the Kakum National Park of Ghana.

Malimbus ibadanensis is known to inhabit forest patches, forest edges, secondary woodland and even highly degraded farmland and gardens. According to Manu et al.2005, the species abundance in the forest patches decreases with increased isolation, although it seem to be unaffected by the area of forest fragments and can persist in patches as small as 0.2 kilometer square.

With widespread forest clearing for cocoa plantations in the Tofala-Mone forest corridor and the lack of knowledge regarding the status of Malimbus ibadanesis in Cameroon, the researchers are calling for an urgent need for further research to determine the conservation status of this colorful bird in the Tofala area and give it the protection it deserves.

As one of efforts to valorize local plants in CameroonMan and Nature and ERuDeF Present Echinops giganteus project to Magha Vast reforestation program also envisaged

Saturday, the 19th of January would go down in the history books for the inhabitants of Magha, South West Region, Cameroon, who form a significant portion of Cameroon’s 3rd highest, but fast degrading peak, Mt Bamboutos. On this day, the Executive Director of a French conservation organization, Man and Nature, Olivier Behra, with technical assistance of the Environment and Rural Development Foundation, ERuDeF, officially presented to the natives the access benefit sharing Echinops giganteus project.

This was in a sensitization meeting which brought together over 50 natives of Magha including the chief’s reagent, administrative authorities and project managers. Speaking during the meeting, the Executive Director of Man and Nature, Olivier Behra, explained that the objective of this project was to find how to help the local population see more value in their resources. Mr. Olivier explained that it is evident that the Magha people are in need of economic income and of life improvement and they can only be more concerned about the conservation of nature if they see value in their natural resources. “We make survey of the plant and survey of the market and see what we can find that can give direct value to the people and we identified this plant as having a potential for the fragrance industry. We want to make value out of a plant which does not really seem to be of much commercial value to the people and help improve their livelihood. If we can manage to find a market for this plant, people can have more income. Echinops is growing everywhere in Magha so if the people have a market, they would be able to improve on the livelihood of the people” Olivier Behra explained.

The people of Magha on the other hand expressed their willingness to give full support to the project which to them would help improve their livelihood as a retired teacher, Tangong put it “We understand this is the first phase of the project. If the research proves successful, it means we would have the possibility of cultivating more of this plant and selling it abroad which would in turn fetch income for us” The chief of Magha’s impression was not different “We have so many plants growing in this area whose importance we do not know. If the researchers can carry out studies and come up with ways of adding value to these plants, it will be very much appreciated”

Speaking during the meeting, the CEO of ERuDeF, Louis Nkembi assured the people the execution of the project will not in any way tamper with existing traditions and that the people will retain their right as the sole custodian of the plant. The representative of the Delegate for environment, Tsala Tsala Emille on his part assured the people that the ministry of environment will remain the watchdog of their environment and make sure the parties involved respect the terms of reference.

Supported by French conservation organization, Man and Nature and executed with technical assistance of ERuDeF, the Echinops giganteus project it is worth noting is a component of the entire programme on the restoration of the degraded Mt Bamboutos. The root of the plant has essential oil potentials for the production of perfume and it is of interest to a French enterprise MANE.

Reacting to complain from the natives on their vulnerability to landslides, the Executive Director of Man and Nature asked the people if they are willing to plant trees to help curb landslides and the people overwhelmingly said yes. Olivier was overwhelmed in his words “It is wonderful for me to see the motivation of the local population who know that the environment has been destroyed and they want to do something about it. They are enthusiastic about reforestation. This is moving me to go back to Europe and the United states to say we need to help these people plant more trees and restore their degraded landscapes .We want to help these people to help themselves”

Magha natives say YES to the Echinops giganteus project

CEO ERuDeF, chief of Magha and Executive Director of Man and nature shaking hands to new friendship.

The Bechati Fondom is one of the villages in the Wabane Sub Division of the South West Region, Cameroon. With a population of over 3000 inhabitants, this village is found in the heart of the tropical rain forest and constitutes a significant portion of the proposed Tofala wildlife hill Sanctuary. This forest block is home to 40-60 one of world’s most critically endangered great ape-the Cross River Gorilla and over 200 endangered Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzees. For decades, the natives invaded this forest and hunted down these endangered species but today, the hunters are telling a different story thanks to conservation education.

The hunters and trappers belonging to the Bechati Hunters and trappers organization have laid down their guns in favour of conservation. This decision was made known on the 22nd of January, 2013, during a tour of the Environment and Rural Development Foundation and her oversea partner Man and Nature.

The hunters said thanks to sensitization on the importance of protecting the endangered cross River Gorilla and the Nigeria/Cameroon, they have desisted from hunting in the Bechati forest. Speaking with the president of Hunters/trappers Union, Menkemndeh Simon Ndeh, he revealed that the conservation of cross river gorillas and the Nigeria Cameroon Chimpanzees in the Tofala forest block is very important now more than ever hear him “For more than thirty years in Bechati, I hunted all kinds of animals and because of my expertise, I was nicknamed fombeh meaning chief of the forest. But I have come to realize that hunting down these rare species is not good given that if these species go extinct, our children may never get to see these wonderful creatures. It was thanks to conservation education I received from ERuDeF that I decided to drop my gun and focus on bee hive farming and cocoa production”. The 47-year-old explained that he now advices his peers on the importance of conservation. Mr. Simon however used the platform to call on well wishers to assist them in their farming activities they have now taken up such as the provision of dryers to dry cocoa. This he explains is given the fact that for some time now, the government of Cameroon has rejected cocoa coming from Bechati saying it was not dried under appropriate conditions. Another hunter Njong Ben whom hunting has been his source of income for more than 20years said quitting the forest makes him feel bad given that hunting was not just a source of livelihood, but also a heritage from his forefathers. Mr. Njong explained that with the coming of the oil mill, life would be better “ We know the oil mill will be installed in our village and this will permit us to mill our palm nuts and have more quality and quantity of oil”

The Fon of Bechati, HRH Nkemtaji Jerry on his part lauded ERuDeF’s initiative of conserving wildlife and providing alternative sources of livelihoods to the people. He however wished that a vehicle be provided which can transport the nuts from farmers farms to the oil mill to put the machine to full utilization.

A forester working in the ERuDeF project of the threatened trees at Mt Cameroon has won the ERuDeF over all best worker of the year grabbing a prize of FCFA100.000 cash. Ms Asa’a Lemawah was voted best staff of the year by the staff of the organization at the end of the annual workshop which ended on the 21st of December. The Finance officer, Ms Ursula Nkeng grabbed the second position with seven votes getting the sum of FCFA 75.000, and the co-ordinator for Trees for the Future programme, Kingsley Neba won the third position with 5 votes going home with FCFA50.000. Speaking shortly after the award, the laureate, Ms Asa’a said the award as the best staff for 2012 meant much to her, hear her “I must say I feel so happy today, because to me this award is not just a sign of recognition of a job well done in 2012, but also helps me to understand why I need to double my efforts in 2013 to realize the set goals which is, increasing reforestation efforts on Mt Cameroon”. Presenting the award to Ms Asa’a, the CEO of ERuDeF, Louis Nkembi congratulated the winner and urged the other staff to emulate the example. The ERuDeF best staff award it would be recalled is a 5-year old tradition which aims at encouraging staff to be more effective in their work. The general criteria for selecting a winner is assessing how that individual met his/her set objectives of the year and also how he collaborates with other staff to help them achieve their goal.

The Environment and Rural Development Foundation, recently joint their wildlife conservation counterparts to celebrate the 14th international wildlife conference under the theme: conserving Africa’s wild fauna and flora. The event was coming to Africa for the first time.

ERuDeF’s presence in the conference hall of a hotel in Buea was very conspicuous with an exhibition stand of colourful posters and charts explaining different components of ERuDeF’s conservation works. The chart on the great apes drew a lot of attention from onlookers who queued to get a grasp of how ERuDeF conducts research and bio-monitoring of wildlife with a focus on the Cross River Gorilla and Cameroon Nigeria chimpanzees on the Lebialem highlands. Another chart which equally drew a lot of attention to the ERuDeF stand was the bird chart which shows some very rare species of birds found in the country, including one of Africa’s most popular, yet endangered bird, the Bannerman’s turaco. The chart on the education component which demonstrated how the non-profit institution is helping to change community perceptions towards wildlife conservation was equally of keen interest to participants attending the two-day workshop.

Celebrated under the theme “conserving Africa’s wildlife fauna and flora: the role of international conventions”, the event had as objective to examine the extent to which international regulations conventions and agreements have enhanced the conservation of wildlife species in Africa and to what extend these agreements would actually not be working in terms of coordinating Africa’s wild flora and fauna. Opening the ceremony, the director of Environmental Governance Institute, Mr. John Manyitabot Takang, said observing the 14th international wildlife law conference in Cameroon was such an honour, given that fourteen years since its inception, it was the first time the conference was holding on the African soil.

The highpoint of day two of the conference came when ERuDeF’s Bio-monitoring coordinator, Asoh Bedwin , mounted the rostrum to talk about the “Contribution of biological monitoring in reducing wildlife crime, poaching and human pressure in great ape(Chimpanzee and Cross River)”. Ms. Asoh started by giving an overview of the Lebialem-Mone Forest Landscape which is located in South Western Cameroon, a forest area with a high species diversity and endemism. She explained that since 2010, through Line transect, Camera trapping and sensitizing the villagers of the importance of conserving these rare species, the Environment and Rural Development Foundation has considerably reduced the pressure on the forest by poachers and traffickers.By Asoh Bedwine